Cellular communications systems provide remote users a variety of services in addition to voice communications from one remote user to another party. For example, cellular communications systems provide informational audio services, such as traffic reports, weather reports, lottery information, etc. from broadcasters to remote users of the cellular communications system. Cellular communications systems also can broadcast other information (data) to a number of remote users. For example, a broadcaster can use a cellular communications system to send data for a message to a number of remotely located billboards.
In current cellular communications systems informational audio services and broadcast data services are treated just like any other telephone call. Within each cell, a dedicated radio channel is assigned between the broadcaster and each remote user for the duration of the informational audio call or data transmission. The use of a dedicated voice channel for broadcasting information means that the call for broadcast information services rationally must be priced for each remote user the same as any other voice call. Such pricing limits the demand for broadcast information services.
In addition, the need for a separate, dedicated voice channel for each remote user for each broadcast information call restricts the usage of such broadcast information services because of the limited number of channels in each cell. With respect to informational audio calls, such as weather and traffic reports, the problem of limited cell capacity becomes more acute when one considers that the peak cellular telephone usage for voice calls often coincides with workers' commuting time, precisely the time when the demand for informational audio service, such as weather and traffic reports, is also likely to peak. The transfer of data to billboards may also be adversely effected by cell capacity where the broadcaster wishes to update a large number of billboards within a short time period.